Church Visits & Lectures

Upcoming Events

The following section gives details of our upcoming events. You will also find the Tickets Form, which is needed to apply to attend these events, together with payment instructions. You can download this Form by clicking on the ‘Download File’ box and then print it off. Members receive this same Form with the Annual Report in April and the Newsletter in August.

Autumn 2023 & Spring 2024 Visits & Lectures

The 300,000 year old Swanscombe Skull was found close to the River Darent .The river and its valley were also an important part of Roman Kent evidenced by the villa at Lullingstone and a further 12 sites in the valley.Adding to the natural beauty of the Darenth valley(note different spelling due to a mistake by a cartographer on an 1804 map!)in the summer are the extensive lavender fields of Castle Farm between Otford and Shoreham.The farm is the largest producer of lavender oil in the UK and along with the 3 remarkable churches we will be visiting is well worth a trip.

For more information on these 3 churches and our 2 Lectures in October 2023 and March 2024 see the Autumn Newsletter which all Members will have received.

Please follow the instructions below in order to book and pay for these Church Visits & Lectures.

One remaining church tour in September previously mentioned in the Summer & Autumn 2024 list and then 2 interesting lectures at Lenham

Wednesday 18th September 2024
2pm start
St Mary, Northiam, Sussex TN31 6NN St Peter, Newenden TN18 5PN
St Mary, Rolvenden TN17 4LS Followed by tea
Organiser Simon Evans 01580 891245 / 07710 553038

Thursday 17 October 2024

Lecture at Lenham Community Centre. ME 17 2QT at 2:30, followed by tea. Tickets cost £12.

The Parish Church Photographic Survey by C B Newham.The Survey aims to achieve a complete photographic record of England’s rural parish churches.Mr.Newham will show us a sample of his incomparable collection of photographs of these churches and their contents with particular reference to Kent.

Cameron Newham is an IT consultant,photographer and church historian whose quest to complete the Parish Church Photographic Survey has so far taken him to nearly 9.000 sites in England.His magnificently illustrated book , County Church Monuments, was published in 2022.

Wednesday 5 March 2025

Lecture at Lenham Community Centre ME 17 2QT at 2:30,followed by tea.Tickets cost £12.

The Precinct of Canterbury Cathedral in the time of Thomas Becket by Professor Paul Bennett.Canterbury Cathedral gets a great deal of attention, unlike its splendid precinct.In this lecture Professor Bennett will redress the balance by looking at the ‘Waterworks Drawing’ ,made in about 1165, which shows in great detail the appearance of the precinct at the time of Thomas Becket.Many of the buildings depicted still survive.

Paul Bennett is a distinguished archaeologist who has spent most of his professional life at the Canterbury Archaeological Trust where he was Director (1986-2001).He is consultant Professor of Archaeology at Canterbury Christchurch University.

Other Events in 2025 will be described in the 2024 Annual Report sent to all Members and on this website in April 2025.

Briggs Events

The Briggs Event is sponsored each year by the Friends to help the host church raise funds. The event may be a lecture ,concert or a similar event. The Friends contribute up to £500 to the cost of a lecturer or performer and associated costs of staging the event.
This year we had two organ recitals.If any church has proposals for an event in 2025 please contact Paul Britton (01732 365794;pauljjbritton@live.co.uk).